1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control for an input-output device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various technologies have been proposed in order to improve an operability of input devices such as a tablet, a touch panel, a mouse or the like. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-143235 has described the following purpose. More specifically, in a computer connected with a touch screen, the purpose is to input a desired input coordinate to the computer in a manner that a position where user's finger touches on the touch screen is confirmed.
For this reason, the computer reads a coordinate where user's finger touches on the touch screen, and then, moves a cursor together with movement of the user's finger. When the user's finger is released from the touch screen, the computer has captured the input position data just before the release as an input coordinate data.
Moreover, JP-A No. 10-187351 has disclosed a copying machine. The copying machine displays a recording material selection range and a tone (gray level) selection range when depressing a touch panel. In a state of depressing the touch panel, a user can move the recording material selection range and the tone selection range while touching his finger thereon. Then, the user selects the recording material and tone by releasing his finger from the touch panel.
However, according to the aforesaid technologies, when the user's finger is released from the touch panel, a coordinate just before finger release has been inputted as an input coordinate. For this reason, these technologies are not applicable to devices in which an operation is generated by depression to the touch panel and release from there. In particular, an operation becomes invalid with respect to an object such as a button used in a recent event driven type operating system and an application software. This is because the depression of touch panel is not recognized in a position where the touch panel is released.
Moreover, according to these conventional technologies, when a position is finally selected, the finally selected position is only recognized; for this reason, it is impossible to generate an effect by a time lag between depression with respect to the object and its release. For example, it is impossible to change the state of the object after detecting the release of the depression to an object, to make the state being continued for a predetermined time, to generate an operation by the release of depression.